In an effort to hold myself accountable, I post the progress of my yearly goals at the end of each month on this blog.
The following are the results through September.

1. Don’t die.

Still good.

2. Lose ten pounds.

Still down ten pounds for the year, though I went up three pounds after a trip to Camp Jewell with my students. I like the oatmeal a lot. It took a couple days, but I managed to get back down to my pre-trip weight.

I’m attempting to lose another ten pounds during the second half of 2013 but have not made any progress on this secondary goal yet.

3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a day. Also complete at least two two-minute planks five days per week.

I missed three days in September due to our trip to Camp Jewell and illness.

4. Launch at least one podcast.

We have a producer. We have a format. The equipment is in place. This is actually going to happen. Soon.

5. Practice the flute for at least an hour a week.

I can’t find my flute. I don’t know what to do.

6. Complete my fifth novel before the Ides of March.

7. Complete my sixth novel.

The first 40,000 words of my sixth novel are in the hands of my agent while I work feverishly on the revisions of my fifth novel. I am still on target to actually finish the manuscript by the end of the year.

8. Sell one children’s book to a publisher.

I will send at least one of the manuscripts to my agent by the end of October, which I also said last month and the month before that and the month before that.

On a positive note, I have three new children’s book ideas that I love.

9. Complete a book proposal for my memoir.

My golf memoir is in the hands of my agent.

The first two chapters of my originally planned memoir are written. I still plan on completing this proposal by the end of the year as well.

No posts published in September. We remain one post away from reaching our goal.

11. Become certified to teach high school English by completing two required classes.

I remain one class and an inexplicable $50 away from achieving certification. Since I have no intention of leaving my elementary school within the next two years, this goal has taken a bit of a backseat to others. I may not complete the final course in 2013 depending on when it is offered.

12. Publish at least one Op-Ed in a newspaper.

I have published three pieces in the Huffington Post and one in Beyond the Margins. Last week I submitted an Op-Ed to the Hartford Courant. I am awaiting a response.

13. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.

I competed in one Moth StorySLAM in September, bringing my total Moth events in 2013 to fifteen. I placed first, running my consecutive winning streak to five.

14. Locate a playhouse to serve as the next venue for The Clowns.

The script, the score and the soundtrack remain in the hands of a New York City playhouse. On a side note, there may be interest in our next show, which isn’t actually written yet.

15. Give yoga an honest try.

No progress.

16. Meditate for at least five minutes every day.

I missed eight days in September because of days when my son awoke before I had a chance to meditate and days spent at camp.

17. De-clutter the garage.

I have been told that the remaining furniture will be removed soon.

18. De-clutter the basement.

Work continues, albeit at a glacial pace.

19. De-clutter the shed

Work ceased on this project in August. I’d love to think that it will begin again in September, but with the month ahead, that is hard to imagine.

20. Reduce the amount of soda I am drinking by 50%.

After recording my first glass of soda for September, I failed to record another. And now we’re four days into October, so this month is lost, too.

21. Try at least one new dish per month, even if it contains ingredients that I wouldn’t normally consider palatable.

I tried a vegetable soup that included broccoli and regretted it.

22. Conduct the ninth No-Longer-Annual A-Mattzing Race in 2013.

No progress.

23. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog on the first day of every month.